Introducing Passages: a new way to connect with the campus community

September 14, 2009

Mark Duntley, dean of the chapel

Our lives are full of significant transitions and passages. In my work as dean of the chapel and college chaplain I have been privileged over the past 20 years to be a part of some of these passages for many members of our campus community. I have officiated at over 200 weddings and dozens of memorial services, and have been present at countless parties, receptions, and gatherings where we have marked a significant milestone in the life of a Lewis & Clark colleague. All of these occasions shared something in common: people were gathered in friendship and support of someone they knew and cared about.

In the interest of helping us connect with one another just a little bit more broadly, I have offered to facilitate a new effort to share important life transitions with our campus community. We are calling this project “Passages” and it will be posted in the “News” column of the Chapel’s home page as well in the “From the Community” column of The Source.

Passages will be a repository for news about campus community members and our families. Things like engagements, graduations, births, promotions, deaths, and other significant milestones or transitions will be reported in Passages so that we can be just a little bit better connected with one another here at Lewis & Clark.

Our philosophy behind this endeavor will be to “share with permission,” so we only plan on sharing information that one of you has specifically asked to be shared in this forum.

You can send messages and updates to: passages@lclark.edu. I will be the one who reviews these emails and will be in charge of bringing them to the attention of our community in Passages. Whether you are reporting information about yourself or a colleague here, I will always personally verify the information with the individual involved and secure permission to pass along that information in Passages. As I do in all my work as chaplain, I will be committed throughout this process to honoring privacy and using discretion.

It is my hope that the evolution of Passages will help all of us stay a little bit better connected with one another and will help us strengthen our sense of belonging and community. To celebrate, to rejoice, or even to grieve with one another may indeed bring us together a little bit more closely as we experience both the highs and lows of life. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions as we proceed with this effort.